Donating blood is another way to help

Mary Sinatra has been donating regularly at Unyts’ Neighborhood Blood Donation Center at the Southgate Plaza for the last eight years. She began donating when the site was first established because the hours were more convenient than the Red Cross. Becoming a platelet donor with Unyts was suggested early on, and she has been donating platelets ever since.

It doesn’t take much to donate and it is an exhilarating feeling to know you have helped someone.

— Mary Sinatra

The main reason Mary became a blood donor was to help the community. While she didn’t have a lot of money, she had blood and knew blood donation was helpful. Since she began donating, her grandson has had many surgeries requiring transfusions, and her brother has had Cancer. This reinforced with Mary the need for blood donors. She also appreciates that the blood donated with Unyts goes to patients in need across WNY.

Mary thinks the best part about donating blood is the feeling you get afterwards, knowing that you helped someone in need, and potentially saved a life. She thinks about how she is helping someone like her brother and through donating, she is honoring him.

When asked what she would tell someone who was considering donating blood, Mary said “Why not? It doesn’t take much to donate and it is an exhilarating feeling to know you have helped someone. It’s a very pleasant experience with the staff and that makes it easy to do!”

If you have been touched by the Gift of Life through blood donation, or donate for a reason you feel passionate about, we’d love for you to:

Unyts is among the leading procurement organizations in the United States, and is one of the only eight centers nationwide to house organ, tissue and eye procurement in one location. With the addition of Community Blood Service, Unyts has become the first organization of its kind nationwide. Unyts operates as a non-profit serving the eight counties of Western New York and works to assist donor families, coordinate the donation process and increase knowledge and awareness within the community regarding transplantation.

Unyts routinely has helped to secure higher rates of donation in Western New York than the national average. When approached following the death of a loved-one for organ donation, Western New York families are very generous. In 2014 the Unyts conversion rate was 81.5%– the national average was 63.2%. Due to these numbers, Unyts is ranked as one of the top procurement organizations nationwide. As recently as 1997, Unyts had just 200 donors; in 2014 the organization surpassed 1,200.

The organization’s network and success have gone hand-in-hand, and as a result, Unyts has been able to spread the message that transplantation is vital – and transplantation saves lives. Unyts is currently headed by President & CEO Mark Simon, and Chair of the Board of Directors David Carlson.